Marine LNG Engine

A marine LNG engine is a dual fuel engine that uses natural gas and bunker fuel to convert chemical energy in to mechanical energy. Due to natural gas' cleaner burning properties, the use of natural gas in merchant ship propulsion plants is becoming an option for companies in order to comply with IMO and MARPOL environmental regulations. The natural gas is stored in liquid state (LNG) and the boil-off gas is routed to and burned in dual fuel engines.[1] Shipping companies have been cautious when choosing a propulsion system for their fleets. The steam turbine system has been the main choice as the prime mover on LNG carriers over the last several decades. The decades-old system on steam propelled LNG carriers uses BOG (boil-off gas). LNG carriers are heavily insulated to keep the LNG at around -160 °C – to keep it liquefied. Despite insulation, the LNG containment area is penetrated by heat which allows for naturally generated boil-off gas (BOG).[2]

LNG engined oil / chemical tanker Tern Ocean on the Firth of Clyde
  1. ^ Burel, Fabio; Taccani, Rodolfo; Zuliani, Nicola (2013). "Improving sustainability of maritime transport through utilization of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for propulsion". Energy. 57 (1): 412–420. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2013.05.002.
  2. ^ Chang, Daejun; Rhee, Taejin; Nam, Kiil; Chang, Kwangpil; Lee, Donghun; Jeong, Samheon (2008). "A study on availability and safety of new propulsion systems for LNG carriers". Reliability Engineering & System Safety. 93 (12): 1877–1885. doi:10.1016/j.ress.2008.03.013.